Lubricant supply device for rail lubricators



Sept. 22, 1936 s. E. BATES ET Al. 2,055,140

LUBRICANT SUPPLY DEVICE FOR RAIL LUBRICATORS Original Filed Oct. 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wi/"J2 imfen'wfi and Aid gay 273x273 Sept, 22, 1936. s. E. BATES ET AL LUBRICANT SUPPLY DEVICE FOR RAIL LUBRICATORS Original Filed Oct. 4, 1929 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 ,UNITED STATES PATENT ori icef LUBRICANT SUPPLY DEVICE FOR RAIL LUBRICATORS Sidney E. Bates and Emmons Overmier, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Maintenance Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original application October 4, 1929, Serial No. 397,413. Divided and this application, March 20, 1931, Serial No. 524,080. Renewed December 14, 1935 Claims. (01. 184-3) Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, on a larger scale, taken substantially on the line 3 3;

This invention relates to a new and improved lubricant supply device for rail lubricators, and

more particularly to an improved lubricant I reservoir and pumping unit adapted to positively supply lubricant to a track oiling mechanism. This application is a division of the copending application of Sidney E. Bates and Emmons Overmier, Serial No. 397,413, filed October 4, 1929.

More specifically, this invention relates to a self-contained unit which is adapted to be partially embedded in the ballast or earthadjacent a trackway, so as to be supported entirely independently of the rails or ties. The device comprises a closed casing in which is a reservoir for the lubricant, and a pumping mechanism for forcing lubricant from the reservoir. The casing has a removable closure through which the lubricant supply may be replenished. Flexible driving connections extending from some suitable f-car-wheel operated device at the rail, connects with a rotary shaft projecting from the upper portion of the casing to operate the pumping mechanism. The lubricant "discharge conduit has an outlet extending from the upper portion "iof the casing from which a flexible conduit leads tothe lubricant distributing means at the side of the rail. The improved lubricant supplying device can thus be used with various types of operating and distributing means positioned on the rail, and the supply device is supported quite independently of the track mechanism, so as not to participate in the shocks or movements resulting. from the passage of trains along the trackway. The principal object of the. invention is device and the track oiling mechanism connected therewith.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the pump-operating mechanism at the side of the rail, certain of the .parts being broken away and certain parts being "shown in section to facilitate the disclosure.

of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontalsection, taken substan-- tially on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3. r

The oil supply mechanism which forms the particular subject matter of the present invention,

is in the form of a self-contained closed unit,

indicated generally at I, which is adapted to be supported independently of the rails or ties of the trackway, preferably by being partiallyem bedded in the road-bed or;ballast A, at aposition rather closely adjacent to the rail,,but spaced 7 sufficiently therefrom so as not to participatein the vertical movements of the rails and ties, due to the passage of a train along the trackway, nor

tobe subject to theshocks thus imparted to the track assembly. This supply mechanism l comprises acasing built up of a pluralityof essembled castings, all of the lower portion of this casing embedded in the road-bed, as indicatedin Fig. 3; j The main casting 2 encloses a vertical, prefer-v ably cylindrical reservoir 3 for holding the lubricant supply. This lubricant is usually in the form of a very heavy or thick oil. Any lubricant may be used which has suflicient fluidity to be capable of being forced through theconduitsby means 'of the'pumping mechanism; A closure member 4 hinged to the casing at 5 normally closes the open upper end of cylinder 3, but may be swung to open positionin order to replenish the lubricant supply.

Any suitable locking means maybe provided at 6 to hold the cover'd. in closed position. Within the cylinder 3 is follower l, in the form of afree metallic piston having a snug slidable fit within the reservoir cylinder. Thisfollo'wer plate I is provided with a valve opening or openings 8 normally closed by a plate 9. which is held tightly over the openings bymeansof a screw device ill operated by a handle ll.

When the plate 9 "is held in closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, the 3 follower will be substantially air-tight and will be forced down upon the upper surface of the lubricant, by means of the air pressureabove the fol- 1 lower. Any suitable opening, suchas indicated at l2, may be provided to permit the space above the follower to ,beunder atmospheric pressure at all times. It will be apparent that as the lubricant is removed from the cylinder beneath the follower, a partial vacuumwillbe produced, so

that the atmospheric pressure'abovethe follower will force the follower downward, thus preventing the drawing of holes or air passages through-the- 26 being entirely closed so that the casing may be the seal by raising the valve closure plate 9, after which the follower may be easily lifted or drawn out, by means of handle ll. a A secondrcasting l3, which encloses a pumpchamber I4, is secured to the open lower end of cylinder casing 2 by means of bolts IE or other suitable fastening means. A horizontal partition member l6 which serves as a part of the bottom wall of cylinder 3, and which separates this cyl.-' inder from pump chamber I4, is clampedbetween the casing members 2 and i3, preferably by having its peripheral edge portions clamped within a groove I! provided therefor in the upper edge portion of easing I3, the overlapping edges l8 of an in-turned flange formed at the lower end of easing 2 holding the partition l6 within this groove. A suitable sealinggasket l9 may be provided between thecasihg'imlembers} 2 and l3ftoprevent the escape; of lubricant. Partition I6 is formed v with a downwardly extending discharge hopper 20, within the open upper end of which is fitted ascreen 2|, provided with handles 22, by

Q- means of which the screen may be removed to be cleaned or replaced.

A rotary pump'23- of any approved form is mounted in the chamber l4 with its inlet 24 connected with the hopper and its outlet 25 com- ,municating witha lubricant discharge conduit 26 formed in the bottom of casing I3. The pump is supported by a bearing 21 mounted in oneside wall 28 of easing l3, and the rotary operating shaft 29 of the pump. projects through and is journaled. in the bearing 21.

A: third casing member 30 is secured in any suitable manner to one side of the two casings 2 and I 3, this casing 30 enclosing a power-trans mission chamber 3|, and an upwardly extending conduit 32 which forms a continuation of the discharge conduit 26; already referred to. At the upper endof conduit 32, adjacent the top of the supply-unit, so as. tobe well abovethe ground whenrthe unit is partially embedded, is an out- .let, to whichconnections are attached for receiv- "ing the lubricant that is forcedLfr'om the reservoir and delivering this lubricant to the rail.

32 is provided .with. an. upper horizontally extending"? portion. 33,,at each-endof'which is ajnozzle or fitting, 34, ,to which are attached the flexible conduits 35, through which the lubricant is con.- ducted tothe distributing devices on the rail.

A rotary operating shaft 36. isjournaled in a hearing .311 formed in the upper portion of casing 30, anditsinner end isjournaIedjin a. bearing38 formed ina boss 39 on one side of cylinder. casing.2 1 T I Within the powertransmisslon chamber 31,,a -spro cket chain.40 connects a sprocket wheel 41 keyed on the power shaft 361 with a similar sprocket keyed onfthe pump. shaft 29. The upper end. ofchamber 3| is closed by aremovable close ure member 42.. 70,. Itwill benotedithat this, supply unit is entirely and permanently closedthroughout its lower and sideportionathe lubricant outlet. 33- and the power shaft 36projectingfrom the casing adjacent the top thereohso that theunit may be embedded. :11. t eed-be t a twee gearshif In the present embodiment of the invention, the conduit interfering with these connections. When continuous or intermittent rotation is imparted to shaft 36 by the mechanism hereinafter described, or any other suitable operating means, this motion will be transmitted through the sprocket gearing 40 to the rotary pump which will Withdraw lubricant from hopper 26 and force this lubricant into the discharge conduit 2632, from which it is delivered through the flexible connections 35 to the distributing mechanism at the rail.

The supply of lubricant in hopper 20 will be replenished from the supply in cylinder 3, by the atmospheric pressure exerted on follower "l', and the screen 2| will prevent the passage of any undesirable foreign substances into the hopper 20 and thence into the pump mechanism.

In order to disclose a complete rail lubricating combination, we have shown and will briefly describe the forms of operating and lubricant distributing devices disclosed more in detail and claimed in the parent application Serial No.

397,413 of which this present application is a Y division. An operating bar 43 is pivoted at one end 44- on a sup-porting plate 45 mounted at one side of the rail 46, the central upwardly curved portion 41 of this bar 43 normally being held somewhat above the upper surface of the rail head, so as to be in the path of a car wheel, by means of springs 48, a stop and guide device 49 at the other end of bar 43 limiting this upward movement. It will be apparent that each time a car wheel passes along the rail 46, the tread of this Wheel will depress the bar 43 against the resistance of springs 48, and when the car wheel has passed by, the bar will again be elevated, by means of these springs, to the normal position shown in Fig. 2. A pawl device 50 pivotally suspended from the operating bar 43 is yieldingly held by means of spring mechanism 5i in engagement with a ratchet wheel 52 mounted on an operating shaft 53 and normally held against rotation with relation to this shaft by means of a friction clutch; device indicated at 54. A

wheel will be prevented by'the locking pawl 55.

An extensible telescopic shaft 56 is connected at one end by a suitable universal joint 51 to the operating shaft 53, and is similarly connected at its opposite end by universal joint 58 with the operating shaft 36 of the lubricant supply device. By this means the rotary movements imparted to operating shaft 53 by the passing car wheel will be transmitted to the operating shaft 36 of the lubricant supplying. device.

The flexible operating connections 56, 5! and 58 permit these rotary movements to be transmitted from shaft 53 to shaft 56, even though these shafts are not in direct alignment. At the same time, these flexible connections will prevent any of the shocks imparted by the rolling stock which passes along y the track-way from being transmitted to. the oil supply mechanism which, it will be noted, is

supported entirely independently of the rails" and ties, and has no rigid connections therewith.

At the opposite side of the rail 45,.is mounted a longitudinally extendingdistributing member 59 (or a pair of these members, as shown, in the present: embodiment), each bar 59 being provided with a plurality of spaced apart lubricant outlets 60. The lubricant is forced through the flexible conduits 35 to and through conduits formed in the distributing members 59 and is thence ejected through the outlets 69 against the head of the rail and the inner face of the flanges on the car wheels.

It will now be apparent that while the operating and distributing mechanisms are firmly mounted against opposite sides of the rail and maintain relatively, fixed positions with relation thereto, these parts are connected by the flexible shaft 56 and flexible lubricant conduits 35 with the improved lubricant supply unit I,

thereover, without any of these movements being imparted to the supply unit I, and there is furthermore no necessity for maintaining an exact alignment between the oil supply device and the mechanisms on the rail. The oil supply unit is easily mounted in position by embedding it in the ballast or road-bed to such a depth that the operating shaft 36 is in substantial alignment with the operating shaft 53 carried by the rail.

This application is concerned only with the reservoir and the mechanism for pumping the lubricant therefrom. No claim is made herein to the combinations of the lubricant pumping mechanism and the mechanisms for operating the pump by the wheels of passing trains and for distributing the lubricant to the rail, as these combinations are claimed in the parent application, Serial No. 397,413, above referred to.

We claim:

' 1. "In a'track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be partially embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a pumping mechanism in the casing adapted to withdraw lubricant from the reservoir and discharge it from the casing, a power transmission casing extending upwardly along the outer surface of the reservoir, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the power transmission casing and projecting therefrom whereby the shaft may be operated from a distance, operating connections within the power transmission casing between the shaft and pumping mechanism, a lubricant outlet in the upper portion of the power transmission casing, and a conduit leading from the pumping mechanism to the said outlet.

2. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be partially embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a follower plate in the reservoir, a pumping mechanism in the casing adapted to withdraw lubricant from the reservoir and discharge it from the casing, a power transmission casing extending upwardly along the outer surface of the reservoir, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the power transmission casing and projecting therefrom whereby the shaft may be operated from a distance, operating connections within the power transmission casing between the shaft and pumping mechanism, and a conduit leading from the pumping mechanism for delivering lubricant from the pumping mechamsm.

3. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be supported adjacent a trackway, a reservoirinv the casing, a discharge hopper extending from the lower por-v tion of the reservoir, a discharge conduit formed in the casing and having an outletto which a conduit may be attached, a pumping mechanism mounted within the casing between the discharge hopper and the inlet to the conduit, mechanism for operating the pumping mechanism comprising a shaft journaled in the casing and projecting therefrom, a follower plate in the reservoirhaving a valve opening, a closure for the valve opening, and a handle-member screwed into the follower adapted to hold the closure in position 4. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means,

comprising a casing adapted to be embedded-in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a discharge hopper in the casing extending from the lower portion of the reservoir, a pumping mechanism mounted in the lower portion of the casing and positioned to withdraw lubricant from the hopper, a dischar e conduit formed in the casing and leading from the pumping mechanism to an outlet in the upper portion of the casing, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the easing and projecting therefrom, operating'connections in the casing between the shaft and pumping mechanism, a follower platein the reservoir, having a valve-opening therein, and followerlifting means normally closing the valve-opening.

, 5. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a discharge hopper in the casing extending from the lower portion of the reservoir, a screen at the inlet to the hopper, a pumping mechanism mounted in the lower portion of the casing and positioned to withdraw lubricant from the hopper, a discharge conduit formed in the casing and leading from the pumping mechanism to an outlet in the upper portion of the casing, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the casing and projecting therefrom, operating connections in the casing between the shaft and pumping mechanism, a follower plate in the reservoir, having a valve-opening therein, and follower-lifting means normally closing the valve-opening.

6. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, a reservoir in the casing, a discharge hopper in the casing extending from the lower portion of the reservoir, a pumping mechanism mounted in the lower portion of the casing and positioned to withdraw lubricant from the hopper, a discharge conduit formed in the casing and leading from the pumping mechanism to an outlet in the upper portion of the casing, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the casing and projecting therefrom, operating connections in the casing betwen the shaft and pumping mechanism, a follower plate in the reservoir, having a valve-opening therein, follower-lifting means normally closing the valve opening, and a remove able closure for the top of the reservoir.

'7. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, said casing enclosing a reservoir opening through the top of the casing, a lower pump chamber, and a power-transmission chamber and a discharge conduit extending upwardly at one side of the reservoir, a discharge outlet at the upper end of the conduit, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the transmission chamber and projecting from the cas'ing, there being a discharge hopper leading from the lower portion of the "reservoir, a pump in the pump chamber having its inlet connected with the hopper and its outlet communicating with the conduit, operating connections in the power-transmission chamber for operating the pump from the shaft, a removable follower in the reservoir having a normadly closed valve-opening, and a removable cover for the top of the reservoir.

8. In a trackoiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, said casing enclosing a reservoir opening through the top of the casing, a lower pump chamber, and a power-transmission chamber and -a discharge conduit extending upwardly at one side of the reservoir, a discharge outlet at the upper end ofthe conduit, a shaft journaled in the ,upper portion of the transmission chamber and and-its -outlet communicating with the conduit, "a rotary. pump'shaft projecting from the pump into the lower portion of the power-transmission chamber, sprocket-gearing in the power-transmission chamber connecting the two shafts, a removable follower in the reservoir having a normally closed valve-opening, and a removable cover for the top of the reservoir.

9. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be embedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and -ties,-said casing enclosing a reservoir opening through the top of the casing, a lower pump chamber, and a power-transmission chamber and afiisoh'arge conduit extending upwardly at one side of the reservoir, a discharge outlet at the upper end of the conduit, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the transmission chamber and projecting from the casing, there being a discharge hopper leading from the lower portion of the reservoir, a removable screen at the inlet to the hopper, a pump in the pump chamber having its inlet connected with the hopper and its outlet communicating with the conduit, operating connections in the power-transmission chamber for operating the pump from the shaft, a removable follower in the reservoir having a normally closed valve-opening, and a removable cover for the top of the reservoir.

10. In a track oiling system, an oil supply means comprising a casing adapted to be .em-

bedded in the ballast at a location spaced from the rails and ties, said casing being formed of a plurality of casings adapted to be connected to enclose a vertically extending reservoir, a pump chamber beneath the reservoir, a power-transmission chamber extending upwardly at one side of the reservoir, and a discharge conduit extend ing upwardly from the pump chamber to an outlet adjacent the top of the casing, the casing being entirely closed except for the open upper end of the reservoir, a removable closure for this open end of the reservoir, a follower in the reservoir having a valve-opening therein, screwmeans mounted in the follower for normally closing the valve-opening and for lifting the follower when the valve is open, a discharge hopper in the bottom of the reservoir, a screen at the inlet to the hopper, .a pump in the pump-chamber having its inlet connected with the hopper and its outlet communicating with the lower end of the conduit, a shaft journaled in the upper portion of the power-transmission chamber, and projecting from the casing, and operating gearing in this latter chamber between the shaft and pump.

SIDNEY E. BATES. EMMONS OVERMIER. 

